The Black Haze (CLASSIFIED)
The Black Haze is a clandestine service organization within House Raisaal that operates under the direct authority of the Steel Ministry. In addition to intelligence and reconnaissance missions, members carry out key assassinations for which the Ministry has deemed an Inquisitor too conspicuous. Leadership and Structure No one member of the Black Haze, save for their commander (known as the Champion) knows the entire makeup of the organization. Members are divided into pairs, who know one another's identity, with each member of a pair also knowing one member of a different pair. This is to protect the organization and its members in the event one of them is captured and interrogated. Members Valier Raisaal - Champion Elite Four The Elite Four are the most trusted lieutenants of the Black Haze, and usually the most skilled and capable as well. They are also the highest ranking members who perform field operations on any sort of regular basis. *Lucar Raisaal *Umbra Raisaal *Gardeva Raisaal *Norla Raisaal Gym Leaders There are eight Gym Leaders, each representing mastery over a certain school of the Black Haze's required skillset. Operatives Any member not ranked as an Elite Four or a Gym Leader are classified merely as operatives. These field agents are often, but not always, the most junior of Haze recruits. Others merely don't want the responsibility of the higher ranks, finding the life of a secret assassin to be more than adequate as it is. Recruitment Candidates for the Black Haze are selected from Raisaal's most promising graduates. Not only those who wish to stay on as Hazekillers are chosen, though many of them are. Candidates must then train with each Gym Leader in succession until mastering the appropriate skillset to the Leader's satisfaction, and only after passing all eight of the Leaders' final tests are they permitted to challenge the Elite Four. Passing is not merely a matter of defeating all four of them, however: candidates have lost to all four but been passed anyway (which is by far the most common occurrence), while the rare individual who manages to defeat one or more of them in combat might not necessarily be approved. What matters most is the candidate's overall mastery of the Haze's training program, how they conduct themselves during the test, and other similarly vital factors. Only once all four are satisfied can the candidate move on to the Champion; the pass must be unanimous, or the candidate must earn the right to challenge all four again. Recruits, of course, are not aware that the people testing them are, in fact, Haze members themselves. Recruits are taught that the instructors they face are just that - instructors - and that the real operatives are hidden within the rest of Raisaal's population. It is, of course, ultimately the Champion who determines a candidate's acceptance or denial. It is only then, after passing every test in succession, that a candidate is inducted into the Haze, given a codename, and integrated into the network of who knows whom.